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Human Interest

May 21, 2021

Back 2 Back: Upcoming Annual Summer Band Bash Now A Two Day Affair

With many people in the community disappointed that for the second year in a row due to COVID, The Ellwood City Festival has been cancelled, the community now can look forward to another fun upcoming event. The Ellwood City Summer Band Bash, a two-day event, will take place at Robert E. Rodgers Memorial Park in Ellport on June 18th and 19th. This event will be a live music festival where people from the community are invited to hear great music, have amazing food and drinks and possibly win 50/50 raffles and free prize giveaways.  Admission on Friday is $8.00 and…

May 7, 2021

Film Producer & EC Native Follows Family Ties In Journey To Tell Story Of Local War Hero

800 missions, saving 576 lives. That is the story of local war hero Royal Stratton as told by his nephew and film producer Christopher Johnson, an Ellwood native. Johnson, along with production partner Mariana Tosca, directed a 90-minute film titled “Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission” that was released in February 2021. Tosca and Johnson, born in Ellwood City, traveled the globe to locate and interview the last remaining voices of the Greatest Generation in order to secure firsthand, historical accounts of some of the most consequential events of the war.  The film has taken 10 years to complete….

April 29, 2021

Riverside School District ‘Happy Days’ Cast Q&A

Starting this weekend, The Riverside Beaver County School District will present its 2021 musical comedy – “HAPPY DAYS – The Musical” We caught up with two of the leads for a Q&A session and also a special message to the Riverside actors from original cast member Donnie Most who played Ralph on the TV series (video at the end of the story): Haylee Anderson Part in Musical? Pinky Tuscadero Current Grade? 12th Previous leads/musicals you’ve been in? I’ve been in seussical, drowsy chaperone, shrek, state fair, and last year I was the supporting lead, Hedy, in How to Succeed in…

April 15, 2021

Imposters Posing as Publisher’s Clearing House Contacting Local Residents; Don’t Be a Victim

With the numerous scams running rampant in our area, one specific scam has been gaining traction recently. According to Mayor Anthony Court, he has received at least four or five phone calls regarding scammers posing at Publisher’s Clearing House. “Unsolicited phone calls are always a scam,” Court said. He said local people have lost out on a lot of money. “I spoke with one lady who lost $18,000 in a similar type of scam,” he said. Publisher’s Clearing House is a legitimate organization. Since 1967, when the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes started, over $315 million in prizes has been awarded….

April 13, 2021

Borough Council Awards Paving Project; Releases List of Roadways

Ellwood City Borough Council voted unanimously Monday evening to award the bid for the 2021 paving program. The winning bid came from Youngblood Paving of Wampum in the amount of $372,111.24. The amount will be paid from the Liquid Fuel Fund. The following roadways are listed to be paved: Beaver Ave (11th St-13th St.) Lee Way (North St. to College St.) Hazen Ave. (North St. to Bridge St.) Hillside Ave. (Brighton Rd. to 3rd. St.) Madison Ave. (Pershing St. to Foch St.) 6th St. (Railroad tracks to Lawrence Ave.) South 4th St. (Summit Ave. S-the dead end) Fairview Ave. (Beechwood…

April 9, 2021

Ewing Park Gets ‘Paw-some’ New Addition Thanks to Reed’s Services

Life can be “Ruff.” But not for the dogs in Ewing Park thanks to Reed’s Services. Located at the intersection near the Kids Creative Kingdom is a doggy destination: A new treat and waste station. The five-star, bright red, dog box is quite “fetching” and is full of yummy goodies. Reed’s is known for supporting Ellwood City, in fact this treat station, fully funded and donated by Reed’s, was inspired by their Christmas Tree during Ewing Park’s Christmas in the Park. Instead of ornaments, their tree was adorned with dog treats and doggy popcorn garland. “It was quite a hit,”…

April 7, 2021

Ewing Park Skateboard Area Gets Lights

Skaters will no longer have to do tricks and jumps in the dark while skateboarding in Ewing Park. Lights have been added to the skateboard park, and according to Councilman Caleb Cragle, the project itself and the cost of the lighting are minimal. Cragle is the Parks and Recreation Chair for the borough and said he spends a lot of time in the park with his daughter. He began to notice a trend. “I noticed the kids skateboarding in the dark quite a bit,” Cragle said. Knowing that the volleyball court had lighting at night, he wondered what the cost…

March 29, 2021

The Tee Box Indoor Golf and Sports Lounge to Open April 5

The much anticipated opening of The Tee Box Indoor Golf and Sports Lounge, 630 Beaver Avenue, will happen on April 5 when the public will be able to rent out the simulators. We took a few minutes to sit down with the owner of The Tee Box, Ryan Venezie for a Q&A session to get the scoop on what people can expect when they visit the new facility: Opening date?  April 5th will be soft opening, grand opening is TBD depending on the liquor license. Will you have food and drinks? If so what type of food/drinks? Any special beers or…

March 26, 2021

PART 2: The Lincoln High School Musical Returns! Cast Q&A

[This is the second of our 2-Part Series spotlighting the Annual LHS Musical] The beloved Ellwood City Area School District’s musical and theatrical performances have finally returned to the stage with The Addams Family Musical. Performances are tonight at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 27th at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 28th at 2 p.m. There are still tickets left to see the show in person and tickets for the live stream are also available. All tickets are sold online at: lhspa.booktix.com. To help showcase our local talent appearing in the musical, we caught up with the cast…

March 23, 2021

Fotia Physical Therapy Takes the Intimidation Out of Physical Therapy for Ellwood City Residents

Tradition, community support, and a love of his hometown were all on Joe Fotia’s list of reasons to open Fotia Physical Therapy in Ellwood City. “I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps of owning a business in Ellwood City,” he said. “Also, no matter where I have worked, I’ve always had support from the people of Ellwood City.” Fotia grew up in Ellwood City and graduated from Lincoln High School (class of ‘87). After graduating with a degree in Biology from Clarion University of PA, he received a Master’s degree in physical therapy from Duquesne University. After earning his degrees…